Valleyview RCMP responded to reports of a two-vehicle collision involving a school bus on Highway 43, before 9:00 a.m. on April 22nd.

According to police, EMS treated several victims upon arrival at the scene near Williamson Park Road. Two adults and five children were taken to the hospital with “various” injuries, and have all been released and treated since then.

Investigators say that the bus appeared to proceed across Highway 43 after stopping on Williamson Park Road and was struck by a truck moving eastbound.

The driver of the bus was issued one violation ticket for “failing to proceed when safe” after stopping and a second violation under the Commercial Vehicle Safety Regulation.

Taxes in Grande Prairie are up by nearly 0.7 per cent, to a 3.97 overall municipal mill rate increase following city council’s decision to not move forward with a separate Stormwater Utility billing system.

During council’s 2024 budget deliberations, a proposal would have seen residents and businesses paying a separate utility charge for stormwater drainage, as opposed to the current model which includes stormwater utilities in property taxes. Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the decision comes after a series of public engagement sessions that ultimately led to the proposal being shot down.

“Council’s discussion tonight considered the fact that in consultation with the community, the community would rather see that revenue recouped for stormwater through taxes rather than a separate stormwater utility bill,” she says.

As a result, the municipal government was forced to find money from other avenues to fill the gap that was originally included in the 2024 budget. Council identified four items to reduce the tax increase including the $1 Million originally allocated for firebreaks that have since been completed utilizing solely provincial funding, a $600K surplus from the year-end of 2023, “some amount” from council’s Strategic Priorities funding pool, and approximately $400K from the proposed covered dome structure, which Mayor Clayton says will have no impact on the project this year.

“The dome amount doesn’t impact the future of the dome, this was because the dome will not be operationalized in 2024,” she says.

Despite the increase, city council maintains that the 3.97 per cent rate still puts Grande Prairie at the lowest increase of property taxes compared to Edmonton, Calgary, and other mid-sized cities.

“It also puts us at the lowest tax increase on a 10-year average across Alberta,” Clayton says.

The topic of council’s continued efforts to mitigate tax increases in the city came up as well with some councillors expressing concern that pulling funding from reserves to artificially lower taxes in Grande Prairie might not be sustainable; however, Mayor Clayton says that with the city’s revenue streams being so “limited” it is important for council to keep taxes low no matter the cost.

“Revenue streams are very limited, we do not have linear assessment growth, we do not have machine and equipment revenue, we pay a significant amount of money to public safety, and so unlike other municipalities we are limited in our revenue streams,” she says. “There is discussion around how often can you put reserves towards keeping the taxes affordable, and end of the day, that is limited by the amount in your reserves.”

“We know that people are under stress, we recognize that it costs more for people to simply live every day, rents are going up, utilities are going up, groceries and gas go up, and so council works very hard to keep tax as minimal as possible.”

Mayor Clayton adds that her council remains “optimistic” that revenues will increase through taxation, not through additional increases but by growth in the community.

The Peace River School Division has announced its pick for the 2024 ASBA Edwin Parr Teacher Award.

Grimshaw Public School Grade 3 teacher Ethan Toews was nominated by his principal Jessica Shaw who describes him as a “true asset” to the K-12 school through his teaching style that addresses every one of his 24 students’ needs.

“Mr. Toews is dedicated to both his students and to the larger school community,” Shaw says. “He models regulation and coaches students through conflicts with consistent care and compassion.”

Toews is also described as having a calm, supportive, and approachable demeanor, allowing his students to feel comfortable when asking for help in both their academic and personal struggles.

Toews also works to connect with his students outside of instructional time and can often be seen participating in active supervision while playing alongside his students at recess.

The grade 3 teacher will be celebrated at the school division’s upcoming Long Term Service Staff Awards on May 10th and again at the ASBA Zone 1 Annual General Meeting this fall where a Zone 1 winner will be selected.

Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue is hosting its second annual “Pose for Paws” contest to raise money for the shelter and give Grande Prairie pet owners the chance to feature their furry friends in Bandaged Paws’ 2024-25 calendar.

The contest began last year as a way to raise money for Bandaged Paws in a fun and engaging way. Bandaged Paws Executive Director Natasha Arsenault says with the success of last year’s campaign, the decision to return for another year was an easy one.

“It’s amazing for us, it’s a busy time of year for use and we’ve been running at capacity for a very long time at the moment so it’s really great to have this fun option for our supporters,” she says. “Last year we raised just over $13,000 so it was quite a surprise because we were thinking- oh maybe $2,000.”

Submissions are open for anyone at a $5 donation, and all of the money raised, including calendar purchases, will go directly to the shelter’s animals. Pets are selected through a public voting system across two categories- dogs and cats/critters, with the top six in each of the two categories will be featured in the calendar.

“The most important part of getting votes is to share them among your friends and family that love your pet just as much as you do,” Arsenault says.

The contest comes to a close on April 25th and the top-voted pet overall will be featured on the calendar’s front cover. Interested individuals can submit a photo or vote online through the Bandaged Paws website.

Earth Day is underway across the world and the Peace Country is no different.

Grande Prairie celebrated Earth Day in a big way with a day of festivities across the city on April 20th, and free public transit to mark the occasion.

The Town of Wembley has been quite vocal on social media, sharing awareness campaigns and tips for residents to observe the occasion and Wembley CAO Noreen Zhang says while their town might be small and resources might be limited, it is still important to engage with the public on some measures they can take to celebrate Earth Day.

“We just want to encourage everyone to be mindful of their environmental footprint and impact to whatever decisions they have to do in their daily activities,” she says. “It’s about encouragement and information and awareness, the big key thing is awareness because if people don’t understand what it is for people just see it as just another thing that’s out there.”

Zhang adds that it is important for residents to remember that Earth Day should not be a one-time change. She says Earth Day serves as a reminder for the public to stay aware of the environmental impacts in their day-to-day lives.

“What we’re trying to do is make sure they are aware that Earth Day is not just a day that people are going through, but it’s something that could impact generations to come,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be just for one day that you actually turn off your lights and that you actually are cautious of the resources that you have, but it’s a daily thing, it’s a lifestyle change that people can actually adopt.”

In Grande Prairie, the city’s 2024 City Scrub event is underway until April 30th to encourage residents to do their part in cleaning up the city after the snow melt.

Members of the Spirit River RCMP arrested two individuals following a home invasion investigation in February.

According to police, a male and female armed with what investigators believe to be handguns, allegedly forced entry into a residence, demanded money, took items, and left the home. The suspects were later identified and arrested in Grande Prairie.

As a result of the investigation, 43-year-old Rycroft resident James William Germo, and 38-year-old Keg River resident Rhonda Brent were charged with numerous counts including alleged robbery with a weapon, being unlawfully in a dwelling house, possession of property obtained by crime, and using an imitation firearm in the commission of an offence. Germo was also charged with alleged disobeying an order of the court.

Germo and Brent were brought before a Justice of the Peace and placed in custody. The two are scheduled to appear at the Alberta Court of Justice in Grande Prairie on May 1st, 2024.

The wildfire danger in the Grande Prairie Forest Area has been bumped up to high and a fire advisory is in place. According to Alberta Wildfire officials high wind gusts in the Grande Prairie region are expected to continue and could cause fires to grow rapidly and “cause extreme fire behaviour.”

Along with the wildfire risk increase, the northern part of the Grande Prairie forest area is under a fire restriction, while the remainder of the forest area is under a fire advisory. In areas where there is a restriction in place existing fire permits are restricted, cancelled or suspended and no new permits are being issued.

Fire permits are still valid in areas under advisory, but new permits in these areas will be looked at on a case-by-case basis, and no heavy-fuel fire permits will be issued. Users are being warned that they may be suspended or cancelled if dry conditions continue. Any burning without a valid fire, other than a campfire, without a valid permit, is prohibited. However, things like safe wood campfires, backyard fire pits, and portable propane fire pits are still allowed.

Since the beginning of the year, 19 wildfires have been reported in the forest area, burning nearly 80 hectares. Fifteen of those fires reportedly have since been put out and two are listed as being turned over to the local party and the remaining pare are under control.

UPDATE: Police say that William Reid Glenn has been safely located. According to officials a tip from the public “was crucial” in locating the missing 69-year-old.

The public is being asked to keep their eyes open for a 69-year-old man with dementia, who reportedly wandered away from a Peace River care facility.

According to Peace Regional RCMP around 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, April 21st William Reid Glenn was reported missing to mounties and officials say they are concerned for his well-being. Police say Glenn was last seen walking towards the Peace River Hospital.

He is described as being roughly 6’0 tall and weighing around 150 pounds. The 65-year-old goes by the name of Reid and has metal-framed glasses, with white or light grey hair and a mustache. He was reportedly last be seen wearing a grey-blue mid-sleeve shirt with black palm trees, blue jeans, a black hat with a red beak, carrying a yellow bag with the words “R Glenn” on it, and possibly wearing slippers.

Police say because of his dementia he could possibly be confused about where he is or could believe that he is working and attempt to do work on a property.

Anyone who sees Glenn or knows his whereabouts is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

FINAL UPDATE: The County of Grande Prairie Fire Service has confirmed the blaze north of Clairmont is now under control. 

Crews will be working in the area over the coming days to ensure any remaining hotspots are extinguished and the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the RCMP and other agencies. 

UPDATE: County Fire crews have continued to work on the ongoing blaze north of Clairmont, and will continue to do so in the coming days. 

The blaze is now estimated to be approximately 30 hectares in size and is being held. The fire has not spread beyond the perimeter and there is still no risk to the public or structures. 

Crews are working with Alberta Wildfire and a helicopter to ensure the fire is extinguished along the established perimeter. 

Residents are asked to stay away from Township Road 730 to 732 and Range Roads 53 to 54 until the fire is extinguished. 

Fire crews from the County of Grande Prairie, City of Grande Prairie, and Alberta Wildfire continue to monitor and contain a rural brush fire that sparked north of Clairmont on Saturday night.

Fire officials say they responded to the scene shortly before 8 p.m. north of Township Road 730 between Range Road 53 and 54. Despite being approximately 60 hectares in size, it’s believed there is no risk to the public, and crews continue to protect three homes in the nearby area as they continue to extinguish the blaze.

Crews worked on the fire throughout the overnight period and will continue to do so Sunday with the help of aircraft and heavy equipment. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and officials say it could be several days before it is extinguished completely.

Alberta Wildfire has issued an update for the Grande Prairie Forest Area, announcing the change in wildfire danger to “moderate.”

Residents are reminded to check for holdover fires from the winter, spread out any remaining ashes to probe for hot spots, feel for heat over ash piles, and drench any remaining hotspots with water and stir ashes.

According to Alberta Wildfire, 19 wildfires have been reported in the Grande Prairie Forest Area since the beginning of the year, 15 of which have been extinguished and two are listed as “under control.”

Among the carryovers, Alberta Wildfire says the sites of some 2023 carryover flames were scanned over the past week by aircraft, and while some fires still show heat, three of them have been listed as extinguished.

Fire restrictions still remain in the northern parts of the Grande Prairie Forest Area, and a fire advisory has been issued for much of the south parts of the region due to dry fuel and gusty wind.

It was an historic occasion at Montrose Cultural Centre on April 19th when Grande Prairie Police Service Chief Dwayne Lakusta was formally sworn in, in a public setting, as the first Chief of Police in GPPS history.

Chief Lakusta was joined by a sizeable group of dignitaries from around the province, friends, families, and colleagues to mark the occasion, and took his oath to protect and serve the City of Grande Prairie to the best of his ability.

Lakusta has been Chief of the GPPS for a number of months, playing an administrative role for the agency in recruiting, setting goals, and establishing the agency from the ground up, and Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says with the ceremony officially marking Lakusta’s commitment to the city, it makes the thought of a municipal police service more real than ever.

“Today is a really momentous day for the City of Grande Prairie,” she says. “This has been multiple years in the process, lots of conversations, [and] recognizing what is possible, and with it being here today, it is real.”

The GPPS will be the first municipal police service in Alberta since Camrose in the 1950s, and while recognizing the work the RCMP has done in Grande Prairie, Mayor Clayton says the change to a city police service is necessary as it simply addresses local problems at a local level.

“For many many years, the RCMP did a good job in our community, but the mandate was not based on local needs, the mandate came from Ottawa, so having that local input through a local police commission is really the different piece.”

The “humbled” Chief Lakusta says the occasion is yet another milestone in the transition from RCMP to GPPS jurisdiction, and the event symbolizes the road ahead for the city’s new police service.

“It’s a great moment, another milestone for the Grande Prairie Police Service, it was a great moment, a humbling moment there,” he says. “We’ve always had the sleeves rolled up but now we’re really going to focus our efforts, we do have our first experienced officer class starting May 27th, and we’re going to be going hard here and moving forward until we have a change of command.”

The Chief also addressed residents who have questioned the need for a municipal police service. He says the direct line of communication between residents and the GPPS is just one of the “many” benefits of the switch.

“It truly is there to improve community safety and wellbeing,” he says. “Give me a chance, if you have questions or concerns, let me answer those questions because there are a lot of variables that are maybe unknown that people are unsure of, what I don’t like to see is rumours and innuendos out in the community, we can actually answer that.”

The GPPS remains on track to officially take over jurisdiction of the city from the RCMP by 2026, and collaborative efforts between the two policing agencies will continue this year.

There are approximately half a dozen power outages being reported in the County of Grande Prairie just east of the city.

The ATCO electric map shows a total of 6 reported outages, including the area which houses the 2DayFM on-air transmitter.

We await confirmation on the cause of the outages, and will provide an update when it becomes available.

The County of Grande Prairie has released its final 2024 budget which includes a 2.9 per cent municipal tax rate and an emphasis on fire services and road conditions.

The tax increase would see residents paying around $58.69 per year, or $4.89 per month on a residential property valued at $482,000.

The $223.5 million budget includes an “estimated” $107 million for general operations, $6.5 million for debt payments, and $110 million for capital investments, including $54.3 million for past projects.

According to the county, the tax rate increase comes as the municipality continues to work against provincial changes to assessment rules, which led to millions of dollars in lost revenue. Officials say the pause on taxes for new well and pipeline projects has led to the loss of around $12.7 million for the county over the past four years, on top of roughly $9 million due to the elimination of the oil well drilling tax.

County Reeve Bob Marshall says according to the 2023 Citizen Satisfaction Survey, a “growing number” of residents reported feeling that they receive good value for taxes. Marshall says it was important for his council to continue providing services, even if a tax increase is necessary.

“For the past three years, we have held the line on the municipal portion of taxes and used reserve funding to balance the budget, and we hope our residents will be understanding that inflationary pressures are affecting us all,” he says. “The moderate municipal tax increase is vital to maintaining our current service delivery levels to ensure our residents continue to experience a high quality of life.”

The majority of the county’s capital budget will go towards road and bridge projects; however, fire response measures saw a $483,140 investment, including a second Fire Prevention Officer position, six decontamination washing machines, a light fire service vehicle, and four full-time firefighters. The near $500K investment is in addition to the $750,000 approved during the interim budget to fund another FPO position and eight full-time firefighter positions.

Construction on the firebreak southeast of Grande Prairie has officially been completed.

The project, a 30-kilometre-long firebreak, originally estimated to cost $7.5 million, was funded through a $5 million grant from the Province of Alberta and the remaining $2.5 million to be split between the City and County of Grande Prairie was constructed to help reduce fire hazards in the southeast. Chief of Public and Protective Services for the City Dan Lemieux says the project has come in significantly below budget.

“The project has actually come in under budget, right now we’re estimating around $4.2 million so less than the $5 million,” he says. “The agreement with the province was that provincial funding would be used first so we may not need to contribute municipal funding either from the city or the county so that’s our hope that the costs remain below four or five million dollars and it will be funded by the provincial government.”

According to Lemieux, the bulk of the project has been completed and all that’s left to do now is a small amount of cleanup and maintenance, so the city remains “hopeful” that the project will be funded entirely by the province.

“I believe that the province of Alberta will pay the $4.2 million I don’t think there’s any provision for them to give us the remaining $800K, it will just be a provincial project that has come in under budget.”

Construction on the firebreak began last May and should be operational before this year’s fire season.

Businesses looking to open their doors and welcome in the sunshine on a patio might not have to face as many restrictions depending on their approach after a discussion during City Council’s committee meetings on Tuesday.

While further discussion is required to pass any sort of changes to the current patio model in the city, Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says it is up to the city to reduce any additional red tape some businesses could face when they look to open up temporary summer patios.

“If we’re going to have a downtown that’s vibrant, there needs to be restaurants and pubs and lounges that have patio opportunities [but] it all needs to abide by the noise bylaws,” she says.

Current noise bylaws have quiet time listed between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and while the Mayor says this is important for the city, restaurant and bar owners that wish to open up summertime patios should not be excluded from consideration.

“The expectation is that it [an outdoor patio] abides by the bylaw, it may already be serving alcohol past 10:00 p.m. but the expectation we heard from administration is that noise would be contained after 10:00 p.m, existing patios are already potentially serving alcohol that is open late, so to regulate ones downtown, didn’t seem appropriate,” she says. “There needs to be a fine balance, and a vibrant downtown has always been a priority of this council and previous councils.”

“What council isn’t interested in is having a nightlife downtown that’s so loud that it’s disruptive to residential.”

Discussions surrounding what types of patios will be subject to which regulations will take place on Monday; however, Mayor Clayton remains adamant that simply adding a small amount of outdoor seating on a business’ property should not be treated the same as more expansive patios that require additional infrastructure such as permanent or semi-permanent installations.

“There are some patios that are significant and have potentially permanent seating, and then there are patios where a business would like to throw out a few tables and chairs because it’s a sunny day,” she says. “That doesn’t really require that extra red tape or even an application fee if they are abiding by the expectations.”

Ultimately, the Mayor says if temporary patios become a problem, she is confident in both bylaw enforcement and business owners to work together and solve any issues that come up respectfully.

“Bylaw enforcement visits businesses and business jurisdictions on a regular basis, so if they saw someone not abiding, they could simply go in and say- you know what your patio needs to be closer to your building, there’s not a clear path for pedestrians, and just have that communication,” she says. “I don’t think that everything always needs to be so regulated, we know our business owners are respectful, and they’re truly just operating to not only be profitable but create an incredible quality of life.”

Numerous proposals for what patios in downtown businesses could look like this summer were brought forward during Tuesday’s committee meetings, including the idea that businesses might consider utilizing their parking spaces as temporary outdoor seating areas, much like those seen in towns like Banff and Jasper.

“You see that in other communities as well, so the conversation at council will be around all different types of patios and really ones that are more significant where the infrastructure is in place over the summer and potentially over the winter, those ones need more consideration,” Mayor Clayton says.

Clayton adds that a deeper discussion regarding the expectation of permits and the differentiation between simple summertime additions and permanent installations will take place during city council’s next Monday meeting.

The Fairview RCMP is asking for help from the public in finding a missing 46-year-old male.

Police say Fairview resident, Willis Robichaud was last heard from on December 27th, 2023. According to investigators, Robichaud advised friends that he would be travelling to Lethbridge.

Robichaud is described as a five-foot-eight man, weighing 200 pounds, bald with blue eyes, and a scar on his left cheek.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Robichaud is asked to contact the Fairview RCMP at (780)-835-2211 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

The County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service will be conducting firefighter training exercises from April 20th to the 21st in Pine Valley and Camp Tamarack.

The exercise is scheduled from noon to 5:00 p.m. on the 20th and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the 21st and will involve what the fire service is calling “training exercises.” Training exercises do not include live fire scenarios; however, the county says residents may hear equipment and tools being used during the practice.

District Fire Chief Bryan Hall says the training is necessary as it will assist firefighters in sharpening their skills to be prepared ahead of the anticipated 2024 wildfire season.

“Through the exercise, we will significantly enhance our ability to protect our communities and our residents, particularly when the risk of wildfire is high,” he says.

Training exercises are just one part of the county’s ongoing wildfire mitigation strategy to reduce the impacts of wildfires in the region.

The Peace River water level is reportedly the lowest it has been in twenty years thanks to an unseasonably dry winter, which has led to the consideration of a potential water conservation plan among municipal officials.

Much of the province has been subject to warm, dry conditions over the winter and Peace River Mayor Elaine Manzer says her region has been no different. The Mayor says very little snow in much of the Peace River watershed has led to “concerning” water levels and ultimately, the consideration of a potential water conservation plan this spring.

“Very little snowfall, and really, very little rain for the most part, we’ve hardly had any moisture, so all of that contributes to the thought that- okay we’re going to start monitoring our water system a bit more,” she says.

The current plan would see the potential implementation of the town’s water conservation bylaw; however, Manzer says the bylaw would not be implemented before educating the public regarding what exactly the rules and regulations would be in this scenario.

“Council and administration are basically planning an education program for the community so everyone is more aware of our water conservation bylaw,” she says.

The Mayor adds that Peace River must address a potential water shortage as soon as possible as the town supplies water to two municipalities in the north- the County of Northern Lights, and the MD of Peace.

“Our town also supplies water through two water pipelines on the west side,” she says. “So all of those water needs make us look and say- well maybe we’re going to have to do things a little bit differently this Spring and leading into the Summer if we don’t get more moisture in the Spring.”

“We have to be aware of those things and take some responsibility to do what we can.”

According to the town’s 2008 Water Conservation Bylaw, if Peace River’s three water reservoirs dip below 75 per cent capacity, water restrictions must be implemented such as lawn watering and household landscaping; however, Mayor Manzer says if capacity drops below 55 per cent capacity, restrictions could be placed upon city amenities such as the town’s spray park.

“Those would all be looked at as to whether or not we need to restrict the water usage there in terms of what we need the water for, becoming a needs rather than wants sort of thing,” she says.

With Peace River serving as an evacuee registration centre during the Northwest Territories evacuation last summer, Mayor Manzer says further strain could be placed upon the town’s water supply should a similar situation arise this year.

“Some of them actually stayed in town so there’s more needs on the system for people that are not necessarily here on a daily basis, so things like that have caused an adjustment on some of our water needs.”

“If it’s like last year, we had hotels that had many firefighters from all over the world staying in hotels, so that increases what’s needed for that emergency service type of thing,” she says. “We would have an increased need on that side of things while at the same time trying to manage the system, so serving the emergency people as well as your own property owners, and that is a concern.”

Should water levels continue to fall, plans are in place to mitigate the effect a potential water shortage could have during the anticipated 2024 wildfire season.

Following the announcement of the Federal Government’s 2024 Budget, “widespread criticism” has spread among both Conservative and Liberal MP’s across the country.

The budget includes nearly $53 Billion in new spending across a variety of incentives including housing initiatives, student aid, and disability benefits across the country; however, according to Grande Prairie-Mackenzie MP Chris Warkentin, the budget does not come without cost of living increases for Canadians with an additional $40 Billion in deficit spending to pay off debts.

“That’s something that every Economist and every educated person around the country was hoping wouldn’t be the case because we know that the deficit spending of this government has led to higher interest rates for people across the country,” he says. “For the first time, in any memorable history, the federal government will now be spending more on their interest payments on their debt, than it spends on healthcare across the country.”

The Liberals say that plans are in place to gain some revenue back through tax hikes in a variety of means such as an increased tobacco and nicotine product tax in an effort to decrease the number of smokers and vapers in Canada while bringing in around $310 million in tax revenue for the federal government.

Despite the tax increases to help Ottawa pay off its debt, Warkentin says the Tories are urging the current government to be “fiscally prudent” by cutting costs across the board to make life more affordable across the country.

“We’d like the government to back off, we’d like them to admit that they’re in the wrong, but clearly they’re not going to do that,” he says. “Frankly, the only option now is for us to have an election, and for Canadians to choose a different path.”

Recently, the federal government laid out the “Canada Housing Plan” which would see homes and apartments built on unused federal land such as Canada Post and National Defense properties and according to the CBC, would see 3.9 million homes built by 2031.

Despite the promises to build homes, Warkentin and his colleagues say the current “red tape” is simply preventing developers from building homes in cities across the country; however, he says efforts by the City of Grande Prairie are commendable, as the municipality has taken affordable housing plans into its own hands.

“We believe that municipalities should be incentivized to build houses, and when they do it, we believe there should be benefits to those communities,” Warkentin says. “The City of Grande Prairie is a perfect example of a city that has worked hard to reduce red tape, to reduce the hurdles so building permits can be issued and I think that cities like Grande Prairie should be rewarded for doing that.”

Warkentin adds that the Conservative opposition will continue to advocate for Carbon Tax cuts, home building in cities across the country, and a spending cap on the federal government to combat additional inflation.